Lian Manman tugged at Lian Shouxin, insisting that no matter what the Old Master Lian or Lady Zhou said in the Upper Room, he must not lend them any money.
"If there’s a real and urgent need, I surely wouldn’t stop it. Not just for them, but even for outsiders who share no kinship, if it’s ti to lend a hand, we should. But not this ti," Lian Manman said to Lian Shouxin. "My eldest uncle and second uncle’s families are getting too bold. If we give them money this ti, knowing how cunning they all are, it will surely beco a habit. Whenever they want money, they’d kick up a fuss like this, waiting for us to hand over the cash. My grandpa and grandma would be disturbed by it too, and they’d end up even more worried."
"Jizu’s education is a costly affair," Lady Zhang thought for a mont and then spoke up, "Paying for his private tutoring from the public school fund, as well as expenses for ink, paper, and inkstones, are also from the public purse. Buying examination papers, needing to go into the city, and all such things aren’t for just anyone to do. These expenses, given our family’s ans, are a bit excessive."
"We eat from a bowl sized for our ans, and we must do things in accordance with our family’s capacity. When our children first started learning to write, we were too frugal to use paper and ink, and the pens were shared between two people. Even now, though we have a bit of money, Wu Lang and Xiao Qi are still very careful with their pens and ink... Wu Lang says that in their school, there are those even more thrifty because their families are not well off, and those students know how to be considerate and feel bad for their elders at ho."
"To put it bluntly, within our own ho," Lady Zhang lowered her voice slightly, "Jizu has been rather spoiled these past few years."
To say soone is "spoiled" ans that they are not grounded or serious in their conduct.
"And as for his eldest aunt and Jizu’s wife, I really don’t understand what they’re thinking," Lady Zhang added.
"What else can they think? What’s theirs is theirs, and if they can pinch a penny from the public funds, they will. Haven’t they always been like this over the years?" Lian Manman replied.
"Thinking about borrowing money from us, it really doesn’t sit well with ," Lady Zhang admitted bluntly.
For soone as straightforward as Lady Zhang to feel uneasy, one could only imagine how an ordinary person would feel in this situation. It’s like a family that has money but doesn’t want to risk not recouping their expenses, nor lowering their standard of living, so they refuse to spend their own money and instead borrow from others.
After borrowing, if they make a profit, they may not know when they’ll repay the debt. If they don’t make a profit, then they might choose to forget about repaying all together.
Lian Manman wasn’t unfamiliar with such people and stories in her previous life.
"Dad, you know how big our expenses are, and in a couple of days, once Mr. Loo finishes the blueprints, we’ll need to buy materials and hire workers. If we could actually save so money, we could buy a few more books for my brothers and get a better pen. The pen my brother uses is almost worn out, and he still hesitates to replace it. Xiao Qi feels bad for half a day if he sses up a character, saying it’s a waste of paper and ink," Lian Manman said with a sense of grievance.
Her words were actually sowhat exaggerated; when it ca to the expenses for education, even if Wu Lang and Xiao Qi were frugal, she would not hesitate to spend money.
Hearing what Lady Zhang and Lian Manman said made Lian Shouxin think they had a point.
"Old Master isn’t foolish, he shouldn’t be making this request," Lian Shouxin said. "But if he really does ask..."
"Then what?" Lian Manman quickly asked.
"Then... I’ll just speak clearly, and see what your grandpa has to say," Lian Shouxin replied. "Your grandpa cares about his reputation and is not an unreasonable person."
...
Following Lian Shouxin, Lian Manman left the West Wing Room and went to the Upper Room.
In the room were only Old Master Lian, Lady Zhou, and Lian Xiuxiu, with Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou both looking very worried. When they saw Lian Manman trailing behind Lian Shouxin, Lady Zhou’s expression grew even darker. She gave Lian Manman a glare but said nothing.
The father and son sat down on the edge of the kang bed, and Lian Shouxin asked Old Master Lian.
"Dad, what did you want to talk to about?"
"It’s nothing else but Jizu wanting..." Lady Zhou started to say.
Old Master Lian waved his hand to stop Lady Zhou and interrupted her.
Then, Old Master Lian rambled to Lian Shouxin about the money Jizu needed, Zhao Xiue’s dical expenses, and such matters.
"Every single one of them makes restless, just thinking about them gives a headache... For Erlang’s wife’s treatnt and the fees for the shaman rituals, your mother has given all she had, and now we’re cleaned out. That money for Jizu, ah... Old Fourth, have you spoken to Old Huang, can we get so money in advance?" Old Master Lian finally said.
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